RAW: Comments sought on Mammoth Mountain bike park

The Inyo National Forest, Mammoth Ranger District is soliciting comments on a Mammoth Mountain Bike Park Trail Construction Project proposal. Mammoth Mountain Ski Area (MMSA), a permittee on the Inyo National Forest, has proposed to construct 2.5 miles of mountain bike trails in the vicinity of, and in conjunction with the operation of the Discovery Chair (Chair 11.) All proposed trail construction is within the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area permit boundaries.

The purpose of this proposed project is to provide new terrain, recreation opportunities, better connectivity, and better separation between differently skilled riders within Mammoth Mountain Bike Park. The proposed projects are needed to provide two new progressive, beginner-level mountain bike trail experiences and a connector from the top of the Discovery Chair to a pre-existing, more difficult trail.

The Forest Service has made a preliminary assessment that this proposal falls within a category of actions listed in the Forest Service NEPA Handbook that are excluded from documentation in an Environmental Assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and that there are no extraordinary circumstances that would preclude use of the category regarding Construction and Reconstruction of Trails.

How to Comment and Timeframe
This project is subject to the notice and comment provisions of 36CFR 215.3. The public comment period will end 30 days following the date of publication of the legal notice in The Inyo Register, which is expected to be May 17. Those wishing to comment on this proposal should not rely upon dates or timeframes provided by any other source. Only those who provide comment or otherwise express interest in the proposed action during the comment period will be eligible to appeal the decision.

Written comments must be submitted to Allison Jackson, Winter Sports Specialist, Inyo National Forest, P.O. Box 148, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546. Electronic comments may be sent to ajackson@fs.fed.us[3] in the following acceptable formats: plain text (.txt), rich text (.rtf), Adobe (.pdf), or Word (.doc). Written comments may also be submitted by fax (760-924-5537) or by hand-delivery to the
Mammoth Ranger Station at 2500 Highway 203, during normal business hours, excluding holidays (Monday -Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.)